[FE] ITTT was Re: Texaco Free Trade Zone

>[Bri] In your vision, do you see a bunch of companies in the
end or just a
>few. If a few have they "divided the market" into areas where
they dominate
>(read near monopoly)? The future that I see is one of a great
number of
>companies. Most of these are local "niche" players, but a few
are on the
>power level of nations. My ITTT
(http://members.xoom.com/rlyehable/gzg/ittt.html) is one of
these. It
>competes with free traders, but has a great advantage in that
it is willing
>to service new colonies. This is unprofitable for most
companies, but ITTT
>makes a profit by contracting for exclusive rights for 99
years.

I know I've kidded you about confusion between (my) ITT and
(your) ITTT, but on this point I really am unconvinced.  If it
isn't profitable for most companies, why should it magically
become profitable for ITTT?  Adding in your comment which I've
snipped that you don't expect it to become profitable in the 1st
50 years, why should the board of directors (and the
stockholders) sign up for 50+ years of losses in the hopes that
the colony will survive and eventually become a good trade
partner?  I can see a few isolated cases where there was obvious
profit potential, but if so, why wouldn't ITTT have competition?

I grant you, signing up for unprofitable contracts isn't
unknown.  The company I used to work for signed a contract to
sell one item below cost to a major client in hopes of getting
on the vendor list (which they did) and selling them other stuff
to make up the margin (which they didn't).   But I can't see
that as a deliberate business plan.

>Where does the breakup start? Something I had in mind would be
a 'trade
>world' system, where several large corps had vast corporate
parks where the
>boundaries were fairly active with industrial espionage and the
like. A few
>of the security forces get a little trigger happy...

Alarish would fit, if you wish.

>[Bri] I would suggest ~2174 as the original colonies get out
from under ITTT
>contract for shipping. Or on "corporate worlds" grabbed by the
various
>corporations to avoid the nasty environmental regulations and
tax burden
>(could be any time after 2074).

Alarish would fit that, too.